Definitions for character
ˈkær ɪk tərchar·ac·ter

Princeton's WordNet(3.92 / 12 votes)Rate this definition:

1. fictional character, fictitious character, character(noun)

   an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)

   "she is the main character in the novel"

2. quality, character, lineament(noun)

   a characteristic property that defines the apparent individual nature of something

   "each town has a quality all its own"; "the radical character of our demands"

3. character, fiber, fibre(noun)

   the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions

   "education has for its object the formation of character"- Herbert Spencer

4. character, role, theatrical role, part, persona(noun)

   an actor's portrayal of someone in a play

   "she played the part of Desdemona"

5. character, eccentric, type, case(noun)

   a person of a specified kind (usually with many eccentricities)

   "a real character"; "a strange character"; "a friendly eccentric"; "the capable type"; "a mental case"

6. character(noun)

   good repute

   "he is a man of character"

7. character, reference, character reference(noun)

   a formal recommendation by a former employer to a potential future employer describing the person's qualifications and dependability

   "requests for character references are all too often answered evasively"

8. character, grapheme, graphic symbol(noun)

   a written symbol that is used to represent speech

   "the Greek alphabet has 24 characters"

9. character(verb)

   (genetics) an attribute (structural or functional) that is determined by a gene or group of genes

10. character(verb)

    engrave or inscribe characters on

Wiktionary(3.20 / 5 votes)Rate this definition:

1. character(Noun)

   A being involved in the action of a story.

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

2. character(Noun)

   A written or printed symbol, or letter

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

3. character(Noun)

   A distinguishing feature; characteristic; A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group.

   A study of the suspect's character and his cast iron alibi ruled him out.

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

4. character(Noun)

   A moral strength.

   "You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds character."

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

5. character(Noun)

   A person with many notable or eccentric features.

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

6. character(Noun)

   A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group.

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

7. character(Noun)

   One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character.

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

8. character(Noun)

   A person or individual, especially one who is unknown or raises suspicions.

   We saw a shady character slinking out of the office with some papers.

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

9. character(Verb)

   To write (using characters); To describe

   Etymology: From caracter, from caractere, from character, from χαρακτήρ, from χαράσσω.

Webster Dictionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Character(noun)

   a distinctive mark; a letter, figure, or symbol

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

2. Character(noun)

   style of writing or printing; handwriting; the peculiar form of letters used by a particular person or people; as, an inscription in the Runic character

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

3. Character(noun)

   the peculiar quality, or the sum of qualities, by which a person or a thing is distinguished from others; the stamp impressed by nature, education, or habit; that which a person or thing really is; nature; disposition

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

4. Character(noun)

   strength of mind; resolution; independence; individuality; as, he has a great deal of character

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

5. Character(noun)

   moral quality; the principles and motives that control the life; as, a man of character; his character saves him from suspicion

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

6. Character(noun)

   quality, position, rank, or capacity; quality or conduct with respect to a certain office or duty; as, in the miserable character of a slave; in his character as a magistrate; her character as a daughter

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

7. Character(noun)

   the estimate, individual or general, put upon a person or thing; reputation; as, a man's character for truth and veracity; to give one a bad character

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

8. Character(noun)

   a written statement as to behavior, competency, etc., given to a servant

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

9. Character(noun)

   a unique or extraordinary individuality; a person characterized by peculiar or notable traits; a person who illustrates certain phases of character; as, Randolph was a character; Caesar is a great historical character

   Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

10. Character(noun)

    one of the persons of a drama or novel

    Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

11. Character(verb)

    to engrave; to inscribe

    Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

12. Character(verb)

    to distinguish by particular marks or traits; to describe; to characterize

    Etymology: [L., an instrument for marking, character, Gr. , fr. to make sharp, to cut into furrows, to engrave: cf. F. caractre.]

Freebase(3.33 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Character

   A character is a person in a narrative work of arts. Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr, the English word dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of "a part played by an actor" developed. Character, particularly when enacted by an actor in the theatre or cinema, involves "the illusion of being a human person." In literature, characters guide readers through their stories, helping them to understand plots and ponder themes. Since the end of the 18th century, the phrase "in character" has been used to describe an effective impersonation by an actor. Since the 19th century, the art of creating characters, as practised by actors or writers, has been called characterisation. A character who stands as a representative of a particular class or group of people is known as a type. Types include both stock characters and those that are more fully individualised. The characters in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler and August Strindberg's Miss Julie, for example, are representative of specific positions in the social relations of class and gender, such that the conflicts between the characters reveal ideological conflicts.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Character

   kar′ak-tėr, n. a letter, sign, figure, stamp, or distinctive mark: a mark of any kind, a symbol in writing, &c.: writing generally, handwriting: a secret cipher: any essential feature or peculiarity: nature: (obs.) personal appearance: the aggregate of peculiar qualities which constitutes personal or national individuality: moral qualities especially, the reputation of possessing such: a formal statement of the qualities of a person who has been in one's service or employment: official position, rank, or status, or a person who has filled such: a person noted for eccentricity: a personality as created in a play or novel (Shak. Char′act).—v.t. to engrave, imprint, write: to represent, delineate, or describe.—n. Characterisā′tion.—v.t. Char′acterise, to describe by peculiar qualities: to distinguish or designate.—ns. Char′acterism; Characteris′tic, that which marks or constitutes the character.—adjs. Characteris′tic, -al, marking or constituting the peculiar nature.—adv. Characteris′tically.—adj. Char′acterless, without character or distinctive qualities.—ns. Char′acterlessness; Char′actery, writing: impression: that which is charactered.—In character, in harmony with the part assumed, appropriate, as a Character actor, one who tries to represent eccentricities. [Fr. caractère—L. character—Gr. charaktēr, from charass-ein, to cut, engrave.]

U.S. National Library of Medicine(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Character

   In current usage, approximately equivalent to personality. The sum of the relatively fixed personality traits and habitual modes of response of an individual.

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. character

   A type of symbol or letter.

   The character on the screen was part of the keyboard language.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 31, 2020  

2. character

   The qualities that define a human being.

   She was a focused and fun character.

   Submitted by MaryC on February 12, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'character' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1176

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'character' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1567

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'character' in Nouns Frequency: #353

How to pronounce character?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say character in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of character in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of character in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of character in a Sentence

1. Johann von Goethe:

   Talents are best nurtured in solitude character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world.

2. Douglas Noel Adams:

   The last time anybody made a list of the top hundred character attributes of New Yorkers, common sense snuck in at number 79.....

3. Samuel Smiles:

   It is possible that the scrupulously honest man may not grow rich so fast as the unscrupulous and dishonest one but the success will be of a truer kind, earned without fraud or injustice. And even though a man should for a time be unsuccessful, still he must be honest better lose all and save character. For character is itself a fortune...

4. Betsy Brandt:

   It’s funny you look at that character, and I wanted her to have a moment where she felt safe enough with someone because she had n’t had that.

5. Barack Obama:

   Beau Biden was an original. He was a good man. A man of character. A man who loved deeply and was loved in return, to know Joe and the rest of the Biden family is to understand why Beau lived the life he did.

Images & Illustrations of character

Popularity rank by frequency of use